Product Description

Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahonDirector: Tim Story

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9557 in DVD
• Brand: Blu-ray Action & Adventure
• Released on: 2006-12-11
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .26 pounds
• Running time: 101 minutes

Synopsis
In this thrill-filled live-action Marvel Comics adaptation, director Tim Story (BARBER SHOP) balances comedy, romantic intrigue, special effects, high action, and even scientific trivia for a rounded FANTASTIC FOUR. Here, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, and The Thing come together on a space mission that goes wrong. The ship's owner - who later transforms into evil Doctor Doom - refuses to abort the mission during a solar storm, which electrifies the ship and its entire crew, causing radical changes to their DNA. Back on earth, the transformed 'heroes' adjust to their new powers, which are specific to their personalities. Mister Fantastic, who lacks assertion, has stretchy limbs of rubber. Invisible Woman, who loves Fantastic but thinks he can't see her for who she really is, does a disappearing act. The Human Torch, an immature guy who is brimming with energy, can burst into flames. And finally, The Thing, a great friend who is as solid as a rock, actually turns into one - and loses his wife due to his weighty disposition. Holing up in Fantastic's scientific lab where they run experiments on themselves in hopes of changing back to normal, the crew learns that Doctor Doom - who is so power hungry that he turns into metal and is able to conduct electrical currents - poses a serious threat. The heroes quickly master their abilities and channel their scientific smarts for one truly fantastic five-way face-off. Visually, action sequences give way to tranquil interludes such as the New York City skyline with the Fantastic's lab glowing atop a skyscraper, while plot-wise, the interplay between the characters brings a human element to the film, with some touching moments from The Thing.

Customer Reviews

Ace Fun!
This is not meant to be an acting masterclass. It is sheer fun and the whole family will enjoy it. For starters the picture in Blu Ray is Phenomenal and I have found myself watching it with friends and family four times to demonstrate the wonders of Blu. Also the storyline and acting aren't nearly as bad as some reviews would tell you. Yes, its predictable but at the end of the day its aimed a kids first and adults second. Both myself and my children throughly enjoyed this film and its sequel and they both come highly recommended to show off Blu Ray.

It's clobberin' time!!!
I avoided this movie for a long time, given that the general consensus was that it was pretty bad, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact pretty damn good. The origin story of the F4 is handled well, the casting is superb and the direction is nicely done. The standout (besides Jessica Alba in THAT costume) is the magnificent Michael Chiklis. He does a brilliant job as The Thing. Equal parts funny, insecure and aggressive- he was perfect in the role. It's a shame about Chris Evans then, who is just a little too smug as The Human Torch. He has absolutely no character arc. He is annoying from the start, all the way through to the end.
Unfortunately, the film is also let down by a rather poor final act. The action here is pretty weak, and the character of Dr. Doom is pretty useless- though there was much potential here. The special effects are simply okay- nothing too mind blowing.
This is by far the most kid-friendly of the comic book movies, with very little in the way of genuine tension. It is by no means as good as any of the excellent Spiderman movies, but is a lot better than Ghost Rider and Citizen Kane when in comparison to the disappointing DareDevil.
As for the Blu-Ray, it has a clear, crisp picture- though by no means breath-taking. There is very little in the way of grain, but the picture does seems somewhat flat and lifeless at times. The audio is great. Dialogue is clearly audible and the speakers really come to life during the explosive action scenes, without making your ears bleed.

Visually nice, abysmal story and acting
This blu-ray version is presented very well on the disc, but the picture quality can't distract you from the awfully bad acting and storyline. It limps from one scene to the next with predictable dialogue and predictable timing. To be honest, it was a struggle to make it to the end without switching it off, I certainly didn't give a damn about the characters and the story an hour into the film anyway. And they did the old trick of leaving a chink of story open at the end for the sequel, oh dear, look forward to missing that.